Attorney General Douglas Gansler defended his comments about Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown's leadership experience that drew the ire of veteran groups backing Brown. Gansler said he had implied that Brown's time in the military didn't count as a real job.

"I didn't say a disparaging syllable about veterans," Gansler said. He added that, as governor, he would work on their behalf to bring the Maryland's Veterans Affairs office — "among the worst in the nation," he said — up to standards.

Gansler sought to cast himself as an anti-establishment candidate with a grassroots campaign of volunteers "knocking on thousands of doors" to generate support.

Brown said he wants to extend state contracts to more local, minority and women's businesses to make improvements to Maryland's infrastructure.

He said the two keys to controlling the influence of the state's new casinos are local governmental oversight and a limit on campaign contributions from members of the gaming industry.

Del. Heather Mizeur cited the decriminalization of marijuana she helped put into law and said she would push for full legalization as governor, using the tax money it generates to fund early childhood education programs.

In response to a question about her controversial support for end-of-life, assisted suicide for mentally competent seniors, Mizeur, a Montgomery County Democrat, said allowing them to decide how to spend their final days would qualify as "compassionate care."

"It's what senior citizens are asking for across the state," she said.

Brown, Gansler and Mizeur are the primary candidates for the democratic nomination.

Republican candidates Charles Lollar and Del. Ronald George spoke about making the state more business-friendly.

Asked whether his plan for the state amounted to Reagan-era, "Trickle-Down" economics, Lollar responded in part: "No one has ever been hired by a poor person."

GOP candidates David Craig and Larry Hogan did not attend.

The one-by-one, moderated Q&A hosted by the Prince George's County Women's Alliance gave the candidates a chance to explain how their ideas would affect the residents who turned out to hear them at the Bowie Center for the Performing Arts.

Mizeur said high foreclosure rates around the county and the state would be a priority for her administration. Brown and Gansler both said they'd push for more transit-oriented development around the county's metro stops.

Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler disparaged Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown's military service, drawing outrage from a veterans group Monday as the two top Democrats contending for the governor's mansion clashed over Brown's work history.

The 2014 campaign for Maryland governor is well under way, with contested primary races in both the Democratic and Republican parties. The primary election is June 24. Candidates include three Democrats and four Republicans. -- Michael Dresser

Republican Gov. Larry Hogan pledged bipartisanship and offered a conciliatory tone during his snowy inauguration Wednesday, promising "to create an environment of trust and cooperation, where the best ideas rise to the top based on upon their merit."

Advocates for programs spending state dollars on stem cell research or investment in technology companies were nervous about what Gov. Larry Hogan's budget would hold for them, given warnings of "strong medicine" to cure fiscal woes.

Calling it a first step toward fully restoring the death penalty in Maryland, Del. Pat McDonough said he plans to introduce a bill that would mandate capital punishment for anyone convicted of killing a police or correctional officer, a firefighter or witness during the performance of their duty.